Creative possibilities of repetition in videogame aesthetics

Abstract

[EN] Videogame designers combine variable elements such as goals and challenges with repetitive ones ranging from props and textures recurrently used to mechanics that make the player perform the same actions time and again. Despite the importance of repetitive factors to provide for a consistent game experience, repetition can be treated as a symptom of a deficient design by researchers and creators. The primary goal of this paper is to make a point of the importance of repetition in videogame design to help both to study further this aspect of this medium and to offer new insights for game creators. To do so, we first provide a list of some of the most common forms of repetition in which players engage while they play. We also analyze three case studies of games that have made use of repetition as a key element of their mechanics to introduce key features and nuances.